Archive for the '2013 Training Camp' Tag Under 'Ducks' Category

ANAHEIM -- Hampus Lindholm put forth an honest sense of innocence when the question was posed to him.

Have the Ducks told you if you're playing your first NHL game Wednesday night?

"No," Lindholm said. "They haven't."

Lindholm went on to say that he won't think about what that night be like until he knows if he is the lineup. And that could be a distinct reality for the 19-year-old first-round pick of the Ducks in last year's draft.

An ankle injury to Luca Sbisa has opened the door for Lindholm to make the team and a spot in the defense corps was won on the strength of a strong training camp.

The Ducks have put defenseman Nolan Yonkman on waivers Sunday and watched winger Brad Staubitz clear after doing so the day before.

TSN's Bob McKenzie reported both moves on his Twitter account. Yonkman requires waivers in order to be sent to the Ducks' minor-league affiliate in Norfolk (Va.) and that's something that could be in the club's plans after the 32-year-old had an impressive training camp.

It is very possible that the Ducks would like to add Yonkman to their young Norfolk squad and provide some veteran leadership. Yonkman has been captain of previous AHL teams in Milwaukee and San Antonio.

"It's an honor," Yonkman said. "It's a privilege to be part of that. And I take that with great responsibility. I've been on winning teams. I've been on losing teams. I think it's an opportunity to hopefully develop young players and lead a team into doing its best.

"I enjoy the challenge. I enjoy working with the coaching staff in trying to bring a winning team to wherever I go. It's fun."

ANAHEIM -- Dan Boyle scored twice and the San Jose Sharks built a three-goal lead Saturday night before surviving a Ducks comeback in the third to post a 6-5 victory in the exhibition finale for both teams at Honda Center.

The Ducks got third-period scores from Kyle Palmieri, Dustin Penner and Saku Koivu -- all of whom got their first of the preseason -- but never got the equalizer in finishing with a 3-4 mark. They will open their regualr season Wednesday in Colorado against the Avalanche.

Daniel Winnik opened the scoring in the first period with a deflection goal and Andrew Cogliano delivered a highlight-reel score at the 10:27 mark after San Jose's Patrick Marleau tallied 21 seconds before that.

Cogliano got an entry pass from Cam Fowler in stride and spun to his left around Sharks defenseman Scott Hannan before falling to the ice and sweeping the puck with his stick past goalie Antti Niemi to bring the announced 15,746 in attendance to their feet.

But the Ducks struggled on the defensive side of the puck and starting goalie Jonas Hiller had a rough outing. Hiller allowed a big rebound on Joe Pavelski's tying goal and then let an open shot by Jason Demers on the power play get through him at 17:32 of the first.

ANAHEIM -- Shea Theodore has a new contract in his hand -- and a one-way ticket out of town.

A day after he signed a three-year entry level deal with the Ducks, Theodore was sent by the club back to his junior hockey team, the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League.

The move isn't punitive in any means. Theodore, the Ducks' first-round pick in this year's draft, is heading back to the T-Birds to get another year of seasoning but the 18-year-old showed himself well in his first pro training camp.

The Ducks also sent goaltender Frederik Andersen to the Norfolk Admirals, their American Hockey League affiliate. Defenseman Garnet Exelby was released from his pro tryout and also assigned by the team to Norfolk.

ANAHEIM -- Collisions are woven into the fabric of hockey but rare are the ones where the forces on both sides pay a painful price.

Neither the Ducks' Emerson Etem nor San Jose's Raffi Torres came out unscathed after smashing together in the teams' exhibition game last week. Etem is still hobbling with a lower-body injury and has been unable to practice since.

It has led Coach Bruce Boudreau at least consider the possibility of not having him when their season opens in a week at Colorado. At least Etem isn't in the same boat as Torres, who will be lost to the Sharks for at least six weeks with an apparent ACL injury.

"If he skates the day before, then he can play," Boudreau said. "But if he doesn’t skate at least the day before ... We've got to make sure that he's healthy before we go."

Boudreau added that Etem's superior skating ability and peak physical condition makes him different than others who aren't. But Etem said that there's no plan in place to get him back on the ice and it's likely he won't play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Sharks.

LOS ANGELES -- Anze Kopitar snapped a third-period tie and Jonathan Quick made 27 saves Tuedsay night to lead the Kings to a 2-1 victory over the Ducks at Staples Center.

Kopitar got behind Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy and converted a pass from Dwight King between the pads of Ducks goalie Viktor Fasth after Lovejoy couldn't cleanly get the puck to Teemu Selanne in the defensive zone.

Fasth also allowed the tying goal late in the second period when Justin Williams beat him short side on a Kings' power play but the Swedish netminder was otherwise very sharp as he made 31 saves.

Goaltending figures to be a strength for the Ducks with both Fasth and Jonas Hiller likely splitting time to start the season.

"They’re both playing really good," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "The problem right now is we’re not scoring any goals. ... We’ve got to find ways to score some goals. Defensively, the goalies have been great and we haven't allowed a lot the last four games.

ANAHEIM -- Here's the expected lineup that the Ducks will go with Tuesday night in their exhibition game against the Kings at Staples Center. Jonas Hiller is getting the night off so Viktor Fasth will likely make the start with Igor Bobkov backing him up. Corey Perry was scheduled to play but the club is holding him out due to a torso injury suffered in Monday's practice.

ANAHEIM -- The Ducks didn't need a great deal of time to officially bring first-round pick Shea Theodore into their fold.

Three months after taking Theodore with the 26th selection in the 2013 NHL entry draft, the Ducks signed the puck-moving defenseman to a three-year entry level contract.

Theodore's deal contains an annual NHL salary of $925,000 and an American Hockey League amount of $70,000. The 18-year-old from Langley, B.C. has been impressive in his first training camp.

The common belief was that Theodore was going to be returned to his Western Hockey League team, the Seattle Thunderbirds, for a second full season. It may still be the case but Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau is at least hanging on to him a little while longer.

ANAHEIM -- Perhaps it is time to encase the Ducks in bubble wrap. Or have them not take the ice altogether.

"That’s what I said at the end of practice," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Let’s not practice anybody. Let’s just get off the ice before anybody else gets hurt."

Training camp hasn't been kind to the Ducks as injuries have ravaged their potential lineup, leaving Boudreau to sounding wistful as to when he will have his entire squad.

Young forwards Jakob Silfverberg and Emerson Etem didn't practice Monday after suffering injuries in their last exhibition games. Defenseman Luca Sbisa is already sidelined until next week at the earliest after getting hurt in the preseason opener.

And then Boudreau got another scare when Corey Perry stormed off ice after getting hurt in a battle drill with roster hopeful Nolan Yonkman.

ANAHEIM -- Goaltending prospect John Gibson was among six players the Ducks assigned to their American Hockey League team on Monday as they cut down closer to the 23-man roster.

Gibson was sent to the Norfolk Admirals along with center Joseph Cramarossa, right wing Stefan Noesen, and defensemen Alex Grant, Kyle Cumiskey and Mat Clark.

The Ducks have 35 players remaining in camp and figure to make more cuts after their exhibition against the Kings on Tuesday night at Staples Center.

Gibson, who turned in a strong 30 minutes against Colorado after a rough exhibition debut last week against the Kings, figures to battle for the starting job in Norfolk. The Ducks still have Frederik Andersen and Igor Bobkov in their camp.